Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s speech, my questions will be for the Minister of Health today. After a review of the Midwifery Program is completed, when will the department deliver the commitment of the Midwifery Program?
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no question from the department that midwifery would be an important part of the health system. The plan is to look at the Midwifery Program in the fiscal years of 2013-2014 to see where we could possibly put some midwives in position. We also have to do this in conjunction with a review of the physician services.
I’m concerned with some of the terminology. An additional review we will see. I’m just wondering when the department will see those regional positions go out to the communities and start to deliver those babies and put the names on the birth certificates that rightly should be there.
Submission will be in the business plan for 2013-2014 for the Midwifery Program.
Can the Minister answer me the question of the financial investment that the department is looking at committing to this Midwifery Program?
That’s going to be up to this House on the amount of money that will be committed to it. We will be reviewing midwifery services in communities where a lot of births originate and which don’t actually occur in those communities. As an example, Hay River is one of the communities where there are many births originating but very few, if any, births at all that actually occur in Hay River. We’re looking at that type of a system to determine which midwifery program will come before the other.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, my priority would be Hay River, but I am interested to see if the department is committed to putting those positions out into the regions prior to… There’s also an indication there would be some in Yellowknife, but would the department commit to putting those positions out in the regions first?
Although the births that are originating and most of the births are happening in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Fort Smith, Alberta and a few in other provinces, we are looking at the communities where the mother is from, the originating mother is from. The ones with the highest numbers in those but the births don’t actually occur there where they have to be transported to another community. Hay River is probably number one on the list for the mother originates from, the birth is originating from but actually do not have the actual birth in that community. Then we have other communities after that.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
